Worth, Trust and Love
by iloveromance
Summary: Daphne has a heartfelt conversation with the Crane family that brings them all a new understanding into Niles' deep depression. And together they work to help him begin to heal. While Daphne knows that being with his family will help a great deal, she is certain that love will prove to be the greatest healer of all. Sequel to "A Treasured Life", rated T as explained in A/N.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: This was meant to be a short one-shot but because I started where "A Treasured Life" left off, but in the process it turned out to be much longer. If you haven't read the original, it may help to do so or to at least read the author's note about the story.**_

The living room was so silent that the sound of Eddie's panting seemed to drown everything else out. Daphne sat on the sofa with her hands folded in her lap, not at all sure how to begin this conversation. But she knew that it had to be done. Frasier and Martin had a right to know. Still, it was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do.

"Can we get this over with?" Frasier asked, clearly annoyed at the fact that she refused to let him speak to Niles until she explained everything.

But she had to approach this carefully. To say the wrong thing could be devastating to her friend, and she cared about Niles too much to see him get hurt even further. He'd been through more than enough.

"Daphne, have you been listening to me?" Frasier snapped.

Startled by the sound of his voice, she looked up. "What?"

"That's what I thought. You weren't listening to me at all, were you?"

"I-."

"Fras-." Martin warned. "Daphne, what's going on with Niles?"

She sighed deeply, praying for guidance from some unknown source. She needed something, anything to get her through this, but now the moment had come and there was no going back. "All right, I'll tell you. But you have to promise me that you will _not_ ridicule Niles for this! It's not his fault! _None_ of it is! He-." She paused as a wave of emotion hit her. She wanted to be so strong for him, but now she was finding it increasingly difficult. Luckily Frasier and Martin seemed sympathetic to her weakness.

God bless them both.

"What's this about, Daphne?" Martin asked in an unusually quiet tone. "We love Niles and we're just concerned about him."

"He's hurting." Daphne said as the tears fell from her eyes. "He's hurting badly."

"But I just can't understand!" Frasier said, standing to pace the room. "He's a successful psychiatrist, he's free from Maris and -."

"I'm afraid that Maris is part of the problem." Daphne said. "And with all due respect, so are we."

He turned to her, appalled at what she had just accused him of. "What? That's ridiculous! You think this is my fault! I've never done anything to Niles to cause him to-."

"Fras!" Martin warned again. "Let her finish!"

At his father's stern glare, Frasier quieted at once. "I'm sorry, Daphne. Go on, Dad."

"Daphne, what's going on? What did Niles tell you?" Martin asked.

New tears fell from Daphne's eyes as she remembered how frightened and ashamed he looked, even recoiling from her touch. And she'd never forget the horror she'd felt when she saw what he'd done to his body. The gashes and cuts that made him look as though he'd been in a terrible fight. Injures that were sure to leave scars, both physical and emotional. She was certain that the physical scars would soon fade, but the emotional scars might never go away.

"Here."

She looked up to find Martin standing next to her, holding a box of Kleenex. It was the most selfless gesture she'd ever encountered from him, and she had never loved him more.


	2. Chapter 2

She took the Kleenex box from him and smiled through her tears, blotting her eyes with a sigh. "Thank you." And after a long silence she spoke again.

"We had a heartfelt conversation. I didn't mean to pry into his personal life, because it certainly isn't any of me business. But when I saw the cuts and gashes, I just couldn't believe…. And when he told me that he was the one responsible, I had to know why. That's when I pried it out of him; a bit forcefully I'm afraid. But it's only because I care about him! I-. He was hesitant at first, and very angry, but then he began to open up.""

Martin put his hand on her arm. "What did he say?"

"H-he said that he was upset over things that happened to him when he was in school, the kids teasing him or taking his lunch money. And that when he sought help from his family, it seemed that you and Frasier didn't care."

She felt horrible, telling Niles' well-kept secret, but she knew that it was the only way to help him.

Martin jumped out of his chair in surprise. "What? But I never-."

"Dad-."

Martin sighed deeply, clearly hurt over this revelation, but found comfort in Eddie's companionship.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Crane." Daphne said. "I know it hurts. But I also know how much Niles loves you. It's not your fault, none of this is. It's Maris'. I'm sorry to be so disrespectful but she's a horrible, retched woman for what she's done to him."

The two men looked at her in surprise and she smiled knowingly. "He… He asked me to call him by his first name. And then he told me that he loves me. I still can't quite believe it."

"Well, it's about damn time!" Martin said, smiling for the first time since the whole incident began. "I've known how he's felt about you even longer than he has. And as for Maris, she's out of his life for good. She's hurt him enough to last a lifetime!"

"I'm afraid that she's still hurting him." Daphne said.


	3. Chapter 3

"What do you mean?" Frasier asked.

Daphne inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled. This was by far the worst part of this conversation. She was severely breaking Niles' trust by mentioning it to his father and brother. But they had a right to know. "She's… frozen his assets and even though he's been working very hard, he doesn't see a dime of it! He has no money to live on and he can barely afford to eat! Haven't you noticed how much weight he's lost?"

"That's ridiculous!" Frasier said. "Niles is extremely wealthy! Why, he has more money than I do!"

"He's been living in his car." Daphne interrupted, bringing the two men to silence.

Frasier lowered himself in to a nearby chair and stared at her in horror. "Impossible! He's got his apartment at the Shangri-La, so why-."

"I get the feeling that he might have lost it. If he hasn't been able to pay his rent-."

The three of them looked at one another, but no words were needed. They knew what the other was thinking.

"We can't let this continue." Daphne said quietly. "We have to do something! And I know that it will be quite the imposition, since we don't have a lot of room as it is… but I think that Niles should live with us. This is his home after all, and the only family he has."

"That's a wonderful idea." Frasier said. "Dear God, I had no idea that things had gotten so bad. If only I had known."

"There's nothing you could have done, Fras." Martin said. "Niles did a damn good job of keeping this to himself. Geez, and to think that my youngest son-."

"Look, I know this is upsetting and we all feel responsible. But we can't let it show." Daphne said. "Niles needs to know that we love and care about him. I know we don't have a lot of space here, and he definitely needs his privacy so I've made a decision. He can have my room."

"Daphne that is out of the question!" Frasier said. "Niles can sleep on the sofa! It's perfectly-."

"Wrong, Dr. Crane." Daphne finished. "You can't possibly make Niles sleep on the sofa, not after what he's been through. I love him so much and I can't bear to see him hurting like this! I-." unexpectedly she began to sob, prompting Frasier to hold her. "I'm sorry." She said, her voice muffled against his chest.

Frasier smiled and rubbed her back. "I'm the one who's sorry, Daphne. I should have known that Maris would do something like this! Damn that woman! But there has to be a way to make it right!"

"Well, you can start by letting him have Daphne's room." Martin said. "I know he cares about you, Daphne and he'll be touched by this."

Daphne sniffled and drew out of Frasier's arms to hug Martin. "Thank you so much. I love you both. And don't worry about a thing. I'll take good care of him, I promise."


	4. Chapter 4

She stood at the closed door, suddenly nervous. In the blink of an eye her whole world had changed and she tried to push away the feelings of guilt. But he'd become her best friend and if she'd known how much he was hurting, then perhaps she could have helped him in some way.

Taking a deep breath, she brushed away her tears. She couldn't let him see her like this. It would only upset him even more. Quietly she knocked, but expected there was no answer. And so she opened the door and went inside. As before, the room was dark and she could see the outline of his slender body, huddled beneath the covers.

He looked so peaceful but the sight of his bandaged body broke her heart. Thankful for the darkness, she swallowed her tears and sat on the bed next to him, trying not to disturb him. But she couldn't resist brushing her fingers against his soft cheek. He turned his head, his eyes opening slowly and then smiled at her.

"Daphne..."

"I'm sorry I woke you, Sweetheart. How are you feeling?"

"Much better, but I-." He paused and sighed deeply, indicating that he wasn't better at all. He was such a sweet man, always trying to spare her feelings. In response she put her arms around him and gently rubbed his back. "Everything will be okay, I promise."

She felt him shudder; a sure sign that he was crying again and she wrapped the blanket around his shoulders. "Now, I'll let you go back to sleep."

"Daphne? About the restaurant…"

She smiled at the memory. "Oh yes, the Italian restaurant that you want to take me to on a date? It sounds wonderful, Niles. I'm looking forward to it."

"Can we go tomorrow night?"

She paused in the doorway and looked at him in surprise. "So soon? Are you sure?"

"Yes." He replied without hesitation. "I love you, Daphne."

His smile warmed her heart and she returned to his side, taking a moment to kiss his lips. "I love you too, Niles. Now get some sleep."

When she returned to the living room, Frasier and Martin rose from their chairs.

"How is he?" Martin asked.

"He'll be fine. He's sleeping, but you can go in and see him. Just don't judge him, all right? He's been through so much. Well, I'm going to bed, so… goodnight."

"_Goodnight?_ It's kind of early for bed, isn't it Daphne?"

"You're right, Dr. Crane. It is early. But I have a big day tomorrow and I want to be well-rested for tomorrow night."

"What's tomorrow night?" Martin asked.

Daphne smiled to herself. "Niles and I have a date. No go on and see him, but don't stay too long."

"Of course." Frasier said. "Dad do you mind if I go first? I have an apology to make."

Martin smiled and patted Frasier's back. "Sure, Fras."

Daphne couldn't stop smiling as she went to her room and closed the door, anxious to draw a hot bath and soak in the tub for a while. She wanted to look her best for her date with Niles, and that started with a good night sleep. Her dreams were certain to be filled with images of the wonderful things to come.


End file.
